Phoenix Senior English

Textual Study

Kenneth Slessor

By

Barbara Stanners

Phoenix Senior English

Textual Study

Kenneth Slessor

By

Barbara Stanners

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Kenneth Slessor 2

Phoenix Senior English Guide: Kenneth Slessor first published by PHOENIX EDUCATION PTY L TD A division of Five Senses Education 2/195 Prospect Highway, Seven Hills 2147 Phone 02 9838 9265 sevenhills@fivesenseseducation,com,au www.fivesenseseducation.com.au www.phoenixeduc.com Copyright @ Barbara Stanners, 2018 The material in this book is copyright. The purchasing educational institution and its staff, and the individual teacher purchaser, are permitted to make copies of the pages of this book beyond their rights under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, provided that:

1. The number of copies does not exceed the number reasonably required by the educational institution to satisfy its teaching purposes;

2. Copies are made only by reprographic means (photocopying), not by electronic/digital means, and are not stored or transmitted;

3. Copies are not sold or lent. ISBN 978-1-925169-12-6 Printed in Australia by Five Senses Education

Kenneth Slessor 2

Phoenix Senior English Guide: Kenneth Slessor first published by PHOENIX EDUCATION PTY L TD A division of Five Senses Education 2/195 Prospect Highway, Seven Hills 2147 Phone 02 9838 9265 sevenhills@fivesenseseducation,com,au www.fivesenseseducation.com.au www.phoenixeduc.com Copyright @ Barbara Stanners, 2018 The material in this book is copyright. The purchasing educational institution and its staff, and the individual teacher purchaser, are permitted to make copies of the pages of this book beyond their rights under the Australian Copyright Act 1968, provided that:

1. The number of copies does not exceed the number reasonably required by the educational institution to satisfy its teaching purposes;

2. Copies are made only by reprographic means (photocopying), not by electronic/digital means, and are not stored or transmitted;

3. Copies are not sold or lent. ISBN 978-1-925169-12-6 Printed in Australia by Five Senses Education

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Kenneth Slessor 3

Contents

Texts and Human Experience 1

Textual Representation of Human Experiences 8

Textual Study Kenneth Slessor 15

Literary Context 16

Poetic Themes and Styles 19

Poetry Analysis and Skills 21

Wild Grapes 24

Gulliver 28

Vesper Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden 32

Out of Time 41

William Street 46

Beach Burial 49

Personal Response 57

Kenneth Slessor 3

Contents

Texts and Human Experience 1

Textual Representation of Human Experiences 8

Textual Study Kenneth Slessor 15

Literary Context 16

Poetic Themes and Styles 19

Poetry Analysis and Skills 21

Wild Grapes 24

Gulliver 28

Vesper Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden 32

Out of Time 41

William Street 46

Beach Burial 49

Personal Response 57

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Kenneth Slessor 2

In its broadest sense, the universally shared human experience encompasses all of those experiences that are now, and have always been, commonly shared by humans throughout history. Anthropologists tell us that storytelling is central to human existence and is common to every known culture, past and present. It involves a symbiotic exchange between teller and listener which begins with nursery rhymes and fairy tales in infancy. Throughout human history, story-telling has been used as a powerful representational tool to portray and chronicle human experience. Stories explore both positive and negative human qualities and when done well, can trigger empathy, self-awareness and insight.

Textual Representation of Human Experiences

Study of varied texts to explore differing representations of ‘Human Experiences’ Developed understanding of how varied texts represent individual and collective human

experiences

Examine how texts represent human qualities and the emotions linked to these experiences

Consideration of the role played by storytelling in expressing and reflecting human lives and cultures

Textual study used to develop analytical and compositional skills

Develop comprehension, interpretive and analytical skills in response to varied texts Appreciate, explore, interpret, analyse and evaluate the ways language is used to shape

textual representations in varied forms, modes and media

Formulate informed responses to varied texts by considering how meaning is shaped by use of context, purpose, structure, stylistic and grammatical features

Examine how different modes and media use visual, verbal and/or digital language elements

Explore how texts can highlight anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies in human behaviour and motivations

Consider how textual representation invites responders to see the world differently, to challenge assumptions, ignite new ideas or personally reflect

Broaden textual response skills and build confidence in using literary devices, modes and media

Develop metalanguage skills, correct grammar and syntax to analyse language and express a personal perspective about text

Use figurative and evaluative language skills to express universal themes and make informed judgements about texts

Draw from personal experience to make connections between themselves, the world and their wider world

Kenneth Slessor 2

In its broadest sense, the universally shared human experience encompasses all of those experiences that are now, and have always been, commonly shared by humans throughout history. Anthropologists tell us that storytelling is central to human existence and is common to every known culture, past and present. It involves a symbiotic exchange between teller and listener which begins with nursery rhymes and fairy tales in infancy. Throughout human history, story-telling has been used as a powerful representational tool to portray and chronicle human experience. Stories explore both positive and negative human qualities and when done well, can trigger empathy, self-awareness and insight.

Textual Representation of Human Experiences

Study of varied texts to explore differing representations of ‘Human Experiences’ Developed understanding of how varied texts represent individual and collective human

experiences

Examine how texts represent human qualities and the emotions linked to these experiences

Consideration of the role played by storytelling in expressing and reflecting human lives and cultures

Textual study used to develop analytical and compositional skills

Develop comprehension, interpretive and analytical skills in response to varied texts Appreciate, explore, interpret, analyse and evaluate the ways language is used to shape

textual representations in varied forms, modes and media

Formulate informed responses to varied texts by considering how meaning is shaped by use of context, purpose, structure, stylistic and grammatical features

Examine how different modes and media use visual, verbal and/or digital language elements

Explore how texts can highlight anomalies, paradoxes and inconsistencies in human behaviour and motivations

Consider how textual representation invites responders to see the world differently, to challenge assumptions, ignite new ideas or personally reflect

Broaden textual response skills and build confidence in using literary devices, modes and media

Develop metalanguage skills, correct grammar and syntax to analyse language and express a personal perspective about text

Use figurative and evaluative language skills to express universal themes and make informed judgements about texts

Draw from personal experience to make connections between themselves, the world and their wider world SAMPLE

Kenneth Slessor 3

Why humanity has always told stories

Some of the most famous Palaeolithic cave paintings in the world are found in a cave complex in south-western France. The exceptional quality, size, sophistication and antiquity of the Lascaux rock art are even more impressive when it is realised that they are estimated to be up to 20,000 years old. The paintings primarily consist of large animals that were once native to the region. Nearly 2,000 figures have been found, covering three main categories; animals, human figures and abstract designs. The animals are depicted as if running, reinforcing that the images were meant to represent important aspects of daily life. The major images have been painted onto the walls using mineral pigments but some designs have also been incised into the stone. In some places female images are shown, probably linked to fertility, and in some of the hardest to get to sections, the animals have been overdrawn several times and pierced with spears in what was likely to be some sort of ritual act. They have UNESCO world heritage significance as being representational of earliest man’s attempts to chart human experiences and make sense of daily existence

Academics have speculated about why prehistoric people painted and engraved the walls at Lascaux and other caves like it. Some suggest that the images play a ritualistic role in ‘hunting magic’ and are a visual story-telling effort to increase the chance of a successful hunt and therefore safeguard the survival of the community. Another prominent theory is that the images communicate real life narratives, with a sense of immediacy achieved by showing many of the animals in motion. One particular image of a bison depicts an action/reaction scenario. The size and strength of the bison is conveyed by thick dark lines and its head is atypically turned to face the viewer. That it has been injured is evident in the hanging intestines but the weapons and prone human figure also stress the dangers. This image is visual story-telling of a real event at a time when there was no written language.

Kenneth Slessor 3

Why humanity has always told stories

Some of the most famous Palaeolithic cave paintings in the world are found in a cave complex in south-western France. The exceptional quality, size, sophistication and antiquity of the Lascaux rock art are even more impressive when it is realised that they are estimated to be up to 20,000 years old. The paintings primarily consist of large animals that were once native to the region. Nearly 2,000 figures have been found, covering three main categories; animals, human figures and abstract designs. The animals are depicted as if running, reinforcing that the images were meant to represent important aspects of daily life. The major images have been painted onto the walls using mineral pigments but some designs have also been incised into the stone. In some places female images are shown, probably linked to fertility, and in some of the hardest to get to sections, the animals have been overdrawn several times and pierced with spears in what was likely to be some sort of ritual act. They have UNESCO world heritage significance as being representational of earliest man’s attempts to chart human experiences and make sense of daily existence

Academics have speculated about why prehistoric people painted and engraved the walls at Lascaux and other caves like it. Some suggest that the images play a ritualistic role in ‘hunting magic’ and are a visual story-telling effort to increase the chance of a successful hunt and therefore safeguard the survival of the community. Another prominent theory is that the images communicate real life narratives, with a sense of immediacy achieved by showing many of the animals in motion. One particular image of a bison depicts an action/reaction scenario. The size and strength of the bison is conveyed by thick dark lines and its head is atypically turned to face the viewer. That it has been injured is evident in the hanging intestines but the weapons and prone human figure also stress the dangers. This image is visual story-telling of a real event at a time when there was no written language. SAMPLE

Kenneth Slessor 4

http://archeologie.culture.fr/lascaux/en/node/9028/salle-taureaux

The power of Story Telling

Stories have always been a primal form of social communication from the time it was linked to ancient myths, legends and folktales. They have been used throughout history to explain natural phenomenon such as lightning or drought and to reinforce cultural traditions, rituals and symbols. Telling stories has also been essential in promoting cultural cohesion as well as social and emotional development. By drawing the audience into the narrative world that is being created, stories encourage the listener or reader to view life from an observer’s standpoint and perspective.

Kenneth Slessor 4

http://archeologie.culture.fr/lascaux/en/node/9028/salle-taureaux

The power of Story Telling

Stories have always been a primal form of social communication from the time it was linked to ancient myths, legends and folktales. They have been used throughout history to explain natural phenomenon such as lightning or drought and to reinforce cultural traditions, rituals and symbols. Telling stories has also been essential in promoting cultural cohesion as well as social and emotional development. By drawing the audience into the narrative world that is being created, stories encourage the listener or reader to view life from an observer’s standpoint and perspective.

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Kenneth Slessor 15

Textual Study

Kenneth Slessor

Kenneth Slessor 15

Textual Study

Kenneth Slessor

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Kenneth Slessor 16

Kenneth Slessor (1901-1971)

Literary Context

Modernism

The combined impact of world war and economic catastrophe made the first decades of the twentieth century, a momentous period of historic, economic and social change. A literary and cultural Modernist movement arose in response to the cataclysmic destruction and loss of life during W.W.I. Traditional attitudes, ideas and social norms no longer seemed to have moral legitimacy in a traumatized post war world. Critic Peter Childs has argued that Modernism aimed ‘to render human subjectivity in ways more real than realism; to represent consciousness, perception, emotion, meaning and the individual’s relationship to society’. A more cynical and jaded perception of social decay and human alienation was evident in the work of English novelists like Virginia Woolf and poets like T.S. Eliot. They rejected the style, subject matter and use of language favoured prior to W.W.I. for a greater focus on subjective experience.

Kenneth Slessor’s poetry career spanned 1917-1944 and his early poems in particular, were influenced by the stylistic changes and new conventions of Modernism. He had read widely from childhood and had developed a strong interest in classical mythology and history. His first poem was published in the papers while he was still at school and his early poems were also influenced by what he read in a series of poetry anthologies published during 1912-1923 and edited by E.M. Marsh. They included poems by Wilfred Owen and T.S. Eliot. The poetry he wrote during the 1920s was also shaped by his association with Norman Lindsay and the poet Hugh McCrae whose work was published in the literary magazine ‘Vision’. Experimental and cosmopolitan imagery is evident in his early work as well an interest in finding subjects that would broaden the scope of Australian poetry beyond a mere description of outback life.

Other significant contextual influences on his work included the innovative methods used by Wilfred Owen and T.S. Eliot. He was particularly impressed by Wilfred Owen’s war poetry and how the poet’s use of underlying emotion was able ‘to alter the shape and sound of the verse itself’. He also admired how T.S. Eliot could create and shape meaning via ‘a simple inflection or variation of the standardized pentameter’. In September 1931, Slessor gave an address on “Modern English Poetry” to the Australian English Association in Sydney where he described Eliot’s famous poem ‘The Waste Land’ as being ‘filled with the most splendid and haunting rhythms of anything written in our century.’ Their influence prompted his experimentation with form and syntax, as well as rhyme schemes and rhythm, and during a 1930s radio talk, he argued that such methods could be manipulated to urge ‘the mind to vibrate at a deeper level of consciousness than that of the superficial world. His personal style was also coloured by his enduring fascination with form and syntax which helped him develop a personal style reflecting his love for his urban environment and for Sydney Harbour and the sea. In a 1961 UNSW lecture, he reflected on his life as a poet.

‘It is difficult for any writer to discuss his own verse, mainly because of the problem of deciding where the boundary lies between the personal associations and meanings which certain words produce in him and those which they produce in the reader. In any case, the very act of analysing emotional documents composed twenty or thirty years ago is often impossible for the author.’

Kenneth Slessor 16

Kenneth Slessor (1901-1971)

Literary Context

Modernism

The combined impact of world war and economic catastrophe made the first decades of the twentieth century, a momentous period of historic, economic and social change. A literary and cultural Modernist movement arose in response to the cataclysmic destruction and loss of life during W.W.I. Traditional attitudes, ideas and social norms no longer seemed to have moral legitimacy in a traumatized post war world. Critic Peter Childs has argued that Modernism aimed ‘to render human subjectivity in ways more real than realism; to represent consciousness, perception, emotion, meaning and the individual’s relationship to society’. A more cynical and jaded perception of social decay and human alienation was evident in the work of English novelists like Virginia Woolf and poets like T.S. Eliot. They rejected the style, subject matter and use of language favoured prior to W.W.I. for a greater focus on subjective experience.

Kenneth Slessor’s poetry career spanned 1917-1944 and his early poems in particular, were influenced by the stylistic changes and new conventions of Modernism. He had read widely from childhood and had developed a strong interest in classical mythology and history. His first poem was published in the papers while he was still at school and his early poems were also influenced by what he read in a series of poetry anthologies published during 1912-1923 and edited by E.M. Marsh. They included poems by Wilfred Owen and T.S. Eliot. The poetry he wrote during the 1920s was also shaped by his association with Norman Lindsay and the poet Hugh McCrae whose work was published in the literary magazine ‘Vision’. Experimental and cosmopolitan imagery is evident in his early work as well an interest in finding subjects that would broaden the scope of Australian poetry beyond a mere description of outback life.

Other significant contextual influences on his work included the innovative methods used by Wilfred Owen and T.S. Eliot. He was particularly impressed by Wilfred Owen’s war poetry and how the poet’s use of underlying emotion was able ‘to alter the shape and sound of the verse itself’. He also admired how T.S. Eliot could create and shape meaning via ‘a simple inflection or variation of the standardized pentameter’. In September 1931, Slessor gave an address on “Modern English Poetry” to the Australian English Association in Sydney where he described Eliot’s famous poem ‘The Waste Land’ as being ‘filled with the most splendid and haunting rhythms of anything written in our century.’ Their influence prompted his experimentation with form and syntax, as well as rhyme schemes and rhythm, and during a 1930s radio talk, he argued that such methods could be manipulated to urge ‘the mind to vibrate at a deeper level of consciousness than that of the superficial world. His personal style was also coloured by his enduring fascination with form and syntax which helped him develop a personal style reflecting his love for his urban environment and for Sydney Harbour and the sea. In a 1961 UNSW lecture, he reflected on his life as a poet.

‘It is difficult for any writer to discuss his own verse, mainly because of the problem of deciding where the boundary lies between the personal associations and meanings which certain words produce in him and those which they produce in the reader. In any case, the very act of analysing emotional documents composed twenty or thirty years ago is often impossible for the author.’

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Kenneth Slessor 17

Biographical Snapshot

1901 Born in Orange New South Wales as Kenneth Schloesser

1914 Kenneth’s father changed the family surname to Slessor after the outbreak of W.W.I.

1917 Slessor was sixteen when the ‘Bulletin’ magazine published his poem ‘Goin’.

1918 Slessor won the London based ‘Victoria League Poetry Prize’ with his poem ‘Jerusalem Set Free’.

1920’s Did not attend university and like many artists, intellectuals or writers of his era, he developed a cosmopolitan outlook. He was influenced by Norman Lindsay and was judgemental of Australian culture, especially as depicted by bush ballad writers like Henry Lawson or Banjo Patterson. He married Noela Myee in 1922 and in 1924, a limited edition of his verse, entitled ‘Thief of the Moon’, was published. This was followed in 1926 by the publication of ‘Earth-Visitors. He began working as a cadet journalist with the ‘Sun’ newspaper and continued to work in journalism as well as editing several journals.

1927-39 Began working for ‘Smith’s Weekly’ and became editor in 1935 Various publications of his verse were published throughout the 1930’s including ‘Five Bells’ in 1939.

1942-45 His reputation as a journalist resulted in Slessor being appointed as an official correspondent during W.W.II. but disagreements with the authorities led to his loss of accreditation and resignation in February 1944. It was during this period that ‘Beach Burial’ was written, one of his last poems. Published his ‘100 poems’ in 1944 and became the editor of the ‘Sun’ newspaper His wife died from cancer in 1945.

1951-1971 He married again in 1951 and his son Paul was born in 1952, but the marriage only lasted ten years. In the last two decades of his life, he concentrated on his journalistic and editing roles as well as writing a series of books about Australian life. From 1956 to 1961 however, he was the editor of the literary magazine ‘Southerly’ as well as being the editor of poetry anthologies. In 1959, he was made an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ for his services to Australian literature. He became Editor of the ‘Sun’ and later the ‘Daily Telegraph’ as well as president of the Journalist’s Club in Sydney. In 1971, he suffered a heart attack and died in North Sydney on 30th June. As stated in his will, Slessor was cremated after a secular service and his ashes placed next to those of Noëla in Rookwood cemetery.

Judith Wright, another renowned Australian poet, has argued, ‘For Slessor, experience is rendered meaningless by its discontinuity, and communication between human beings is momentary, limited, and corrupted by time and death. Only the moment's world can hold beauty and freedom and changelessness; and the moment is no more than a moment; it is not, as it is for Eliot, the guarantee of anything beyond itself.’

Kenneth Slessor 17

Biographical Snapshot

1901 Born in Orange New South Wales as Kenneth Schloesser

1914 Kenneth’s father changed the family surname to Slessor after the outbreak of W.W.I.

1917 Slessor was sixteen when the ‘Bulletin’ magazine published his poem ‘Goin’.

1918 Slessor won the London based ‘Victoria League Poetry Prize’ with his poem ‘Jerusalem Set Free’.

1920’s Did not attend university and like many artists, intellectuals or writers of his era, he developed a cosmopolitan outlook. He was influenced by Norman Lindsay and was judgemental of Australian culture, especially as depicted by bush ballad writers like Henry Lawson or Banjo Patterson. He married Noela Myee in 1922 and in 1924, a limited edition of his verse, entitled ‘Thief of the Moon’, was published. This was followed in 1926 by the publication of ‘Earth-Visitors. He began working as a cadet journalist with the ‘Sun’ newspaper and continued to work in journalism as well as editing several journals.

1927-39 Began working for ‘Smith’s Weekly’ and became editor in 1935 Various publications of his verse were published throughout the 1930’s including ‘Five Bells’ in 1939.

1942-45 His reputation as a journalist resulted in Slessor being appointed as an official correspondent during W.W.II. but disagreements with the authorities led to his loss of accreditation and resignation in February 1944. It was during this period that ‘Beach Burial’ was written, one of his last poems. Published his ‘100 poems’ in 1944 and became the editor of the ‘Sun’ newspaper His wife died from cancer in 1945.

1951-1971 He married again in 1951 and his son Paul was born in 1952, but the marriage only lasted ten years. In the last two decades of his life, he concentrated on his journalistic and editing roles as well as writing a series of books about Australian life. From 1956 to 1961 however, he was the editor of the literary magazine ‘Southerly’ as well as being the editor of poetry anthologies. In 1959, he was made an ‘Officer of the Order of the British Empire’ for his services to Australian literature. He became Editor of the ‘Sun’ and later the ‘Daily Telegraph’ as well as president of the Journalist’s Club in Sydney. In 1971, he suffered a heart attack and died in North Sydney on 30th June. As stated in his will, Slessor was cremated after a secular service and his ashes placed next to those of Noëla in Rookwood cemetery.

Judith Wright, another renowned Australian poet, has argued, ‘For Slessor, experience is rendered meaningless by its discontinuity, and communication between human beings is momentary, limited, and corrupted by time and death. Only the moment's world can hold beauty and freedom and changelessness; and the moment is no more than a moment; it is not, as it is for Eliot, the guarantee of anything beyond itself.’

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Kenneth Slessor 18

In his 1999 biography of the poet, Geoffrey Dutton described Slessor’s ‘quiet dedication to poetry’ as beginning in early childhood, ‘growing up in a cultured home and writing rhymes to his parents’. As an adult, Dutton argues that Slessor was ‘an intensely private person’ who ‘enjoyed the rough and tumble world of journalism’ and had a ‘robust sense of humour which balanced his philosophical scepticism.’ He also described the poet as being someone who ‘enjoyed vulgarity’ and ‘was amused at the indignities forced on human beings by fate’ as well as admiring ‘the ability of ordinary Australians not only to put up with them but to turn them into comedy’. Dutton described this journalist/poet as someone who could also be abrasive and petulant in behaviour and mood, especially with women.

The distinguished journalist who had worked for various publications including ’Smith's Weekly’ and ‘The Bulletin’ had a tendency for petulance as well as what Dutton described as a ‘disrespect for authority’. This was evident during his role as Australia’s Official War Correspondent from 1942-1944. Slessor had initially relished his appointment but conflicts with military authorities led to his resignation on 21st February 1944. He later wrote on 1st March, ‘I am bitterly disappointed that I am now forced to give up the struggle to tell in my own way the story of the Australian fighting man, for whom I have so deep an admiration. I am in a position to resist intimidation. Private correspondents, dependent on the Army’s blessing to keep their jobs are not … there is something gravely wrong with the present organisation of Army Public Relations’. Quoted from Geoffrey Dutton, ‘Kenneth Slessor: A Biography – 1999. Although his manuscripts clearly show attempts to write poetry, he published nothing new after ‘Polarities’ in 1948, although he edited the work of other Australian poets during the 1950s and 1960s.

Selected Poems

‘Wild Grapes’ and ‘Gulliver’ (published in ‘Cuckooz Contrey’ in 1932)

‘Out of Time’, ‘Vesper-Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden’ and ‘William Street’

(published in ‘Five Bells’ in 1939)

‘Beach Burial’ (published in Poems ‘Polarities’ in 1948) Edited by Slessor himself and including the poems he believed best represented his life work.

Note: the following poems are examples of Dramatic Monologues:

‘Wild Grapes’, ‘Gulliver’ and ‘Vesper-Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden’

‘In the end Slessor tells us that humanity is chaotically fragmented, isolated, unable to communicate with anything other than itself. This is not poetry written for the sake of communication, but the desperate talk of a man who “cannot escape those tunnels of nothingness. The cracks in the spinning cross”. Slessor can experience but not interpret. He does not seek for causes or solutions. At the bottom, the note of hollowness and hopelessness is inescapable. The voice has now fallen silent’.

Judith Wright

Kenneth Slessor 18

In his 1999 biography of the poet, Geoffrey Dutton described Slessor’s ‘quiet dedication to poetry’ as beginning in early childhood, ‘growing up in a cultured home and writing rhymes to his parents’. As an adult, Dutton argues that Slessor was ‘an intensely private person’ who ‘enjoyed the rough and tumble world of journalism’ and had a ‘robust sense of humour which balanced his philosophical scepticism.’ He also described the poet as being someone who ‘enjoyed vulgarity’ and ‘was amused at the indignities forced on human beings by fate’ as well as admiring ‘the ability of ordinary Australians not only to put up with them but to turn them into comedy’. Dutton described this journalist/poet as someone who could also be abrasive and petulant in behaviour and mood, especially with women.

The distinguished journalist who had worked for various publications including ’Smith's Weekly’ and ‘The Bulletin’ had a tendency for petulance as well as what Dutton described as a ‘disrespect for authority’. This was evident during his role as Australia’s Official War Correspondent from 1942-1944. Slessor had initially relished his appointment but conflicts with military authorities led to his resignation on 21st February 1944. He later wrote on 1st March, ‘I am bitterly disappointed that I am now forced to give up the struggle to tell in my own way the story of the Australian fighting man, for whom I have so deep an admiration. I am in a position to resist intimidation. Private correspondents, dependent on the Army’s blessing to keep their jobs are not … there is something gravely wrong with the present organisation of Army Public Relations’. Quoted from Geoffrey Dutton, ‘Kenneth Slessor: A Biography – 1999. Although his manuscripts clearly show attempts to write poetry, he published nothing new after ‘Polarities’ in 1948, although he edited the work of other Australian poets during the 1950s and 1960s.

Selected Poems

‘Wild Grapes’ and ‘Gulliver’ (published in ‘Cuckooz Contrey’ in 1932)

‘Out of Time’, ‘Vesper-Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden’ and ‘William Street’

(published in ‘Five Bells’ in 1939)

‘Beach Burial’ (published in Poems ‘Polarities’ in 1948) Edited by Slessor himself and including the poems he believed best represented his life work.

Note: the following poems are examples of Dramatic Monologues:

‘Wild Grapes’, ‘Gulliver’ and ‘Vesper-Song of the Reverend Samuel Marsden’

‘In the end Slessor tells us that humanity is chaotically fragmented, isolated, unable to communicate with anything other than itself. This is not poetry written for the sake of communication, but the desperate talk of a man who “cannot escape those tunnels of nothingness. The cracks in the spinning cross”. Slessor can experience but not interpret. He does not seek for causes or solutions. At the bottom, the note of hollowness and hopelessness is inescapable. The voice has now fallen silent’.

Judith Wright

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